Water ski vehicle

ABSTRACT

A water ski boat has a torpedo-shaped main body with front and rear portions joined by a thin waist portion for holding riders. A weighted rigid ski at the bottom of fore and aft struts selfrights the craft at rest and supports the main hull out of the water when cruising. A handle bar turns to turn an outboard motor in the rear portion. A drive shaft extends downward through an opening in a bifurcated rear section of the ski, the propeller is positioned below the bifurcation. When an obstruction is encountered the motor pivots. The motor is removable from a cavity in the rear section.

United States Patent [191 Zubick, Jr.

[ 1 WATER SKI VEHICLE Frank P. Zubick. Jr., 2848 South King St., Honolulu. Hawaii 96814 [22] Filed: June 8, 1973 [21] Appl. No: 368,349

[76] Inventor:

[ June 10, 1975 Primary Examiner-Robert .l. Spar Assistant Examiner-Donald W. Underwood Attorney, Agent, or Firm-James C Wray [57] ABSTRACT A water ski boat has a torpedo-shaped main body with front and rear portions joined by a thin waist portion for holding riders. A weighted rigid ski at the bottom of fore and aft struts self-rights the craft at rest and supports the main hull out of the water when cruising. A handle bar turns to turn an outboard motor in the rear portion. A drive shaft extends downward through an opening in a bifurcated rear section of the ski. the propeller is positioned below the bifurcation When an obstruction is encountered the motor pivots The motor is removable from a cavity in the rear section.

4 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures WATER SKI VEHICLE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Sports vehicles have become increasingly popular. Water vehicles have enjoyed success in the increasing use of recreational vehicles. Conventional water craft have been purchased in large numbers. Water skis and other types of towed craft in which the occupant is exposed are being widely used. Small water craft in which individual riders control highly maneuverable small craft have been proposed. Water craft in which the rider sits on top of the hull with his body exposed have not been used extensively.

A collection of disclosures of water vehicles related to the present invention is found in Classes 114 and 1 of the official classification of the United States Patent Office. Examples of vehicles found in that type are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,7l8.l l 1', 3,693,577; 2.8l7.l()l; 3.703.877; 3,570,444 and 3,483.844. Some of these devices have boat-like hulls which enclose a rider. Some of the devices have multiple seats; some are platforms on which persons stand. Some of the devices have a submerged ski which lifts hulls from the water at crusiing speeds.

All of the prior art vehicles have inherent problems. A number of the vehicles are inherently unstable at rest or become unstable when weighted by a rider while dead in the water. Some of the devices have short skis or ski sections or pontoons which prove ineffectual for lifting or guiding the craft. Many difficulties remain in the known prior art devices which may in part be responsible for the lack of wide acceptance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention describes a water vehicle intended for use by one or more riders in positions exposed to the water. The vehicle is intended primarily for sport use and for any high speed high maneuverability use such as exploration. reconnaissance and com munications or frogmen-type operations.

The vehicle has a hull body which is torpedo-shaped, with forward and after sections joined by a thin and low-waist section upon which one or more riders are seated. The front section contains a cap for receivving a separable gasoline tank. A fuel line extends from the cavity through the waist portion to the rear portion. An outboard engine mounting block extends transversly in the rear portion for receiving an outboard engine. Access is provided to a cavity in the rear portion for installing and removing an outboard engine. Turnable handle bars are mounted on the front portion. and a turnable shaft extends downward from the handle bars to an interconnection means which links the shaft and motor to turn the motor for turning the vehicle. With the exception of the fuel tank cavity and a starting battery cavity in the front section. a motor cavity in the rear section and interconnecting lines and controls, the entire hull is filled with a buoyant foam material.

Fore and aft thin cross section foil-shaped struts extend downward from the main body hull, and a rigid ski is mounted on the bottom of the struts. The ski is con structed of a heavy material or is weighted to provide self-righting for the craft when the craft is at rest in the water laden or unladened by a rider. The ski is a rigid ski with a forward upturned portion beneath a bow of the hull. The rear portion of the ski is bifurcated beneath the stern of the craft. The drive shaft and propel ler of the motor fit within the bifurcated portion so that the entire motor may be easily removed from the craft and so that the motor can be tipped rearward when the propeller housing strikes an obstacle.

The bifurcated rearward ski portion extends to give lift and directional stability to the craft.

The overall effect of the present invention is to provide a water craft which operates on water similar to the operation of a motorcycle on land.

One object of the invention is the provision of water craft apparatus having a torpedo-like body with a lowwaist portion on which a rider sits and having a heavy weighted ski at the bottom of struts extending downward from the body for holding the body upright at rest in the water when supporting a rider and for lifting the body from the water and planing on the ski when the craft is underway.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a water motor vehicle apparatus which has a torpedo-like body with a forward portion with a cavity for holding a gas tank and a rearward portion with a cavity for mounting an outboard engine and a central waist portion joining the forward and after portions and a pair of struts extending downward and connected to a rigid ski.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an exposed rider water vehicle having a torpedo-like body with a thin braced portion on which a rider rides and a ski extending beyond struts which extend downward from the body, the ski being rearwardly bifurcated for permitting movement of the motor drive shaft through the bifurcation.

These and other objects and features of the invention are apparent in the disclosure which includes the drawings and the foregoing and ongoing specification and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the water ski vehicle of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the weighted ski of the present invention, showing the propeller housing extending through the rear bifurcation of the ski.

FIG. 3 is a cutaway side elevational detail of the water ski vehicle of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Referring to FIG. 1, a water ski vehicle is generally indicated by the numeral 1. A narrow waist portion 2 joins a forward portion 3 and a rearward portion 4. The general contours of the hull-like body are rounded and curvilinear in cross sectionv A cover 5 in the forward portion 3 encloses a fuel tank-receiving cavity. A gas line connects the cavity with the outboard engine which is mounted in the rear portion 4.

A turnable handle bar 6 connects through linkage in the forward portion and waist portion to turn the outboard motor for steering the craft.

A rider places his feet upon foot rests 8 and sits upon seat 9 with his back against backrest 10 when driving the vehicle. Covers l2 and 15 are rigidly attached to the rearward portion 4 for removal so that the engine may be installed and removed from the craft. The interior of the covers are lined and filled with foam flotation material in all appropriate places, leaving space only sufficient for engine breathing and turning.

As shown in FIG. 1 the outboard motor drive shaft housing 24 extends downward through the ski, and the propeller and propeller housing 25 are mounted beneath the ski at the bottom of housing 24.

Struts l6 and 18 extend downward from the front and rear portions of the hull. A ski is connected rigidly at the bottom of the hull. The ski has an upturned bow 3l beneath the bow of the hull and has a keel 32 which extends centrally rearward from a medial portion of the ski. As shown in FIG. 2 a bifurcated rearward portion of the ski 33 extends rearward beyond the propeller and slightly outward to provide lift stability and directional stability to the craft as it is cruising on the ski.

A rearward portion of the ski is bifurcated, and the drive shaft extends through the bifurcated portion. The propeller is mounted beneath the bifurcated portion; the drive shaft may be turned within the bifurcated portion when steering the craft. The drive shaft and pro peller may move rearward within the bifurcated portion when encountering obstacles.

Referring to FIG. 3, the engine is generally represented by the numeral 20. A fuel line 34 extends through the waist portion 2, connecting a gas tank 35 in cavity 36 with the engine. A guick disconnect cou' pling is shown near the bottom of the gas tank. Preferably the gas tank is removed from the craft when filling to avoid excess vapors. The covers on the rearward portion of the craft may be removed or slightly opened to ventilate the engine housing as the engine is started.

A conventional hinge structure 48 permits the housing 24 to move rearward through the bifurcated rearward portion 33 of the ski upon encountering an obstacle.

As best shown in FIG. 3, the handle bar sticks are connected to a steering shaft 42 which has a pulley at its lower end for moving a cable loop 43 to turn the engine. The engine is mounted on a rigid athwart ships member 45 by a clamp 47 in a conventional manner. Gauges 50 indicate the operating conditions of the engine. A separate float gauge may be contained in the fuel tank.

In the preferred embodiment the hull body is rigid and is foam-filled to prevent water from seeping into the hull. The preferred embodiment is useful for all applications of the craft.

In special applications, such as in use as highly compactly stored sport of emergency vehicles, the body may be constructed with a flexible gas-tight skin in joined inflatable sections. Each section may be separately inflatable, or the entire craft may be inflated as a unit.

In the preferred embodiment of the inflatable modification, a gas is stored in a small container connected to the body. When the gas is released, the body is quickly filled at a pressure which is sufficient to support the craft in a stable form-stable condition.

A minimal framework is provided, and the framework may be foldable or otherwise collapsible, and may be locked into place when in use. The ski may be foldable at hinge S8 and lockable into a rigid ski when in use.

In a quickly rigable unit such as useful in escape or emergency procedures, the ski may be folded in half over the collapsed body so that the ski will automatically extend and lock when filling gas is released into the hull.

While the invention has been described with reference to a specific embodiment, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that modifications and variations of the invention may be constructed without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The scope of the invention is defined in the following claims.

I claim:

t. An exposed passenger water vehicle comprising a relatively light main body hull, having upper portions of curvilinear cross sections transverse to a longitudinal axis, the hull having a relatively small cross sectional and elongated forward section and a relatively large cross sectional and short rearward section joined by a thin lower central section on which an occupants seat is positioned, the forward section having a relatively rectangular cavity extending downward from an upper surface of the section for receiving a similar shaped gas tank, means for mounting an outboard engine housing within the rear section, whereby a drive shaft and propeiler of the engine extend downward from the rear section, turnable steering means extending upward and rearward from the front portion and turnable shaft means extending downward and forward into the front section from the turnable steering means and connecting means extending rearward from the shaft to the rear section for turning the outboard engine and thereby steering the vehicle, a front strut extending downward from the front section, and a rear strut extending downward from the rear section, and a relatively heavy ski extending fore and aft from lower ends of the struts and rigidly secured thereto, and keel means extending rearward along a central, after portion of the bottom surface of the ski.

2. The water vehicle apparatus of claim 1 wherein a rearward portion of the ski is bifurcated, and wherein the drive shaft extends through the bifurcated portion and the propeller is mounted beneath the bifurcated portion, wherein the drive shaft may be turned within the bifurcated portion when steering the craft, and wherein the drive shaft and propeller may move rearward within the bifurcated portion when encountering obstacles.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the ski is heavier than a combined weight of the main body and an engine mounted within the main body, whereby the vehicle is self righting.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the ski is fold able. 

1. An exposed passenger water vehicle comprising a relatively light main body hull, having upper portions of curvilinear cross sections transverse to a longitudinal axis, the hull having a relatively small cross sectional and elongated forward section and a relatively large cross sectional and short rearward section joined by a thin lower central section on which an occupant''s seat is positioned, the forward section having a relatively rectangular cavity extending downward from an upper surface of the section for receiving a similar shaped gas tank, means for mounting an outboard engine housing within the rear section, whereby a drive shaft and propeller of the engine extend dOwnward from the rear section, turnable steering means extending upward and rearward from the front portion and turnable shaft means extending downward and forward into the front section from the turnable steering means and connecting means extending rearward from the shaft to the rear section for turning the outboard engine and thereby steering the vehicle, a front strut extending downward from the front section, and a rear strut extending downward from the rear section, and a relatively heavy ski extending fore and aft from lower ends of the struts and rigidly secured thereto, and keel means extending rearward along a central, after portion of the bottom surface of the ski.
 2. The water vehicle apparatus of claim 1 wherein a rearward portion of the ski is bifurcated, and wherein the drive shaft extends through the bifurcated portion and the propeller is mounted beneath the bifurcated portion, wherein the drive shaft may be turned within the bifurcated portion when steering the craft, and wherein the drive shaft and propeller may move rearward within the bifurcated portion when encountering obstacles.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the ski is heavier than a combined weight of the main body and an engine mounted within the main body, whereby the vehicle is self righting.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the ski is foldable. 